CA1120101A

CA1120101A - Non-interruptible power supply systems

Info

Publication number: CA1120101A
Application number: CA000313035A
Authority: CA
Inventors: John F. Roesel, Jr.
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-10-25
Filing date: 1978-10-10
Publication date: 1982-03-16
Also published as: JPS5498944A; GB2007036B; AU523944B2; JPS6366146B2; AU4083778A; GB2007036A; US4168459A

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a novel non-interruptible power system (NIPS) comprising an A.C. generator that pro-duces A.C. at a constant frequency and voltage regardless of the electrical power supply to a driving motor for the generator. The A.C. generator comprises at least one field core with a cylindrical surface with a layer of magnetizable permanent magnet material thereon, and a slotted armature, relatively rotatable to the field core, having a cylindrical surface Juxtaposed to the cylindrical surface of the field core. An excitation coil in the armature is disposed to have A.C. passed through it so that it magnetizes the layer of magnet material in the field core into a pattern of magnetic poles. Main A.C. power windings in the armature generate A.C. during rotation. A novel feature comprises placing in selected slots in the armature (1) supplementing windings for generating A.C. for the excitation coil and (2) modifying windings energizable with current to control the remanent flux in the layer of magnet material. In generators with several field cores and armatures, there are provided in selected slots in each armature leading or lagging windings or both whose A.C. output may be combined with that of the main power windings to give an A.C, output with low total harmonic distortion. If power to the driving motor fails, the rotational energy of the generator keeps producing the desired constant voltage and frequency for a prolonged period.

Description

NON-INTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

Prior Art The present invention is an improvement over the inventions disclosed in my prior U.S. patents 3,521,149 issued July 21, 1970 and 3,931,535 issued January 6, 1976.
Neither of these earlier patents show the modifying and supplementing windings of the present invention. The invention here also discloses the use of leading and lagging windings and their connection with the primary windings in another stator. Other novel features are also disclosed which are not in the patents.
The following series of publications refer to the generator of U.S. 3,521,149 and applications therefor:
"New Alternator Delivers 60-Cycle Power at any Speed" by E. F. Lindsley, pages 38 to 40 of the July 1973 issue of "Popular Science", Vol. 203, No. l;

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"The Roesel Generator" by L. R. Herman, IEEE P.E.S. Winter Meeting and Tesla Symposium, Paper No. A76 035 6, published January 25-30, 1976;
"The Roesel Generator - A Unique Varizble Speed-Constant Frequency Generator" by R. R. Ott, R. J. Barber and J. F.
Roesel, presented June 1975 at the IEE Applied Magnetic Workshop at Marquette Vniversity;
"Independent Energy Systems for Better Efficiency" by O. W. Marshall, R. T. Morash and R. J. Barber, presented August 1974 at the 9th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, American Society of Mechanical Eng-ineering, pages 531 to 537;
"Pre~ise Power for Industrial Controls" by R. T. Morash, R. R. Ott, R. J. Barber and O.W. Marshall, presented April lg75 at the Milwaukee Symposium for Industrial Control; and "Line Isolation for Industrial Control Systems" by R.J. Barber, O. ~. Marshall, R. R. Ott and R. T. Morash presented March 1974 at Proceedings of Milwaukee Symposium on Automatic Controls.
British Patent 576,351 dated March 29, 1946 is directed to a generator having a constant frequency but variable voltage output. In the patent structure a variable speed rotor comprising a solid sleeve or cylinder of steel or other high coercivity mat-erial is placed within a stator having an input windiIIg supplied with A.C. which magnetizes the steel sleeve of the rotor and this induces an A.C. in an output winding on the stator of similar fre-quency as in the input winding ! ~ut the voltage output: is directly related to and varies as the speed of the rotor varies. The con-struction and operation of the British Patent apparatus gives the opposite result of the apparatus of the present invention wherein both the voltage as well as the frequency remain constant regard-less of variations in the speed of the rotor. Furthermore, the construction of this patent employs a solid sleeve or cylinder of steel or other high coercivity material and an A.C. input wind-ing in the stator, and this is inherently unsuitable for genera-ting a useful power output. Tests have ~hown that usually more wattage is required by the input winding in magnetizing the rotor than the wattage that can ~e obtained in the output windings.
Ba'ckground of the'I`n'v'ent'i`on For numerous applications in industry, laboratories,mili-tary and commerce, it is highly desirable that there be a supply of A.C. power of a relatively- constant frequency, of a relatively constant selected voltage and that this power be furnished without interruptions. A marked drop in frequency, a large drop in volt-age or a complete interruption can cause either malfunctioning or misfunctioning of the apparatus to which the A.C. power is being furnished. In some cases serous damage may result. Computers and electronic control systems can malfunction seriously if the volt-age or frequency depart from narrowly restricted limits.
Public utility systems are regarded as being quite reliable, but as is brought out in an article on pages lQ0 to 102 of the May 10, 1975 issue of "Electronic Design", in the average utility sys-tem, major line faults with voltage drops of 75% or more, including complete outages, lasting for relatively long periods of time, can be expected about 10 times a year; while minor faults during which the voltage may drop as much as 25~ occur on an average of from 500 to lOOQ times a year. In such systems, transients and spikes in the voltage in the utility lines may average more than lO,OQQ times per year, ~ith line surges being up to as much as

2,0Q0% of normal line voltage and lasting for periods of up to several milliseconds and sometimes exceeding 10 milliseconds.
It is common knowledge that extremes o~ cold or hot weather place such demands on the public utility lines that the utility may be ll;~V~O~

forced to reduce line voltages up to as much as 10% (so-called "brown-outs") or to eliminate delivery of power to certain sections or to isolate industrial plants fram power. Unexpected or unpre-dictable events such as accidents, storms, fires, and the like cause circuit breakers to function to isolate the areas where lines may be shorted or damaged by such occurrences.
As a broad categorization, the probability of power dis-turbances in, for example, 60 and 50 Hz utility power lines are as follows:
(a) occasional total power failures lasting from about a minute to a day or more;
(b) much more frequent brief complete power failures or interruptions lasting from a few cycles up to some seconds, but ordinarily less than a minute; and (cl numerous voltage and frequency irregularities such as surges, spikes, dips, transients and "noise".
Each of these three classes of power line disturbances can cause serious problems in the functioning of computers, electrical control equipment such as numerically controlled mach-ine tools, communications including radio, TV broadcasting andtelephony, process controls in shops and laboratories, and detec-tion and monitoring systems. Even a brief interruption or a voltage spike or drop beyond a rather narrow margin can result in a malfunction of a computer, for instance, which is often not observed or noted, and great difficulty is encountered in subse-quently determining that a malfunction did occur and where or when the erroneous operation took place. When process controls fail to function due to power failure they may result in a dangerous or costly malfunction of the controlled apparatus with damage not only to the apparatus being controlled, but also to the material or product being treated or processed.

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11'~0101 It is known to provide stand-by or auxiliary power sources in hospitals, radio and television stations, and police stations, for instance, to furnish emergency power in the event that power is interrupted in a utility line which normally supplies the power needed in these facilities. Two of the most widely used stand-by systems are (12 storage batteries with electrical controls such as D.C. to A.C. inverters and suitahle switching means, and (2) engine operated generators with controls and switches. The shortcomings of the battery systems are their short periods of usefulness which are of the order of 15 minutes for full power replacement, long recharging times after each use of up to from 8 to 20 hours, high first cost, and substantial space and main-tenance requirements. Engine-generator units take a material time period to get them started and to deliver power, so that normally there is a su~stantial time interval from the instant when the utility power is interrupted until the controls are activated and the engine is started, and auxiliary power is supplied to the equipment. The A.C. power from such stand-by generators is usually not comparable to the normal utility A.C.
power in evenness of voltage levels and regularity of frequency.
In all cases, it is extremely costly - 4a -~ 0~01 to provide any auxiliary system that will take over immediately upon the failure of the utility power so as to furnish A.C. of high uniformity, of precisely selected frequency and a substan-tially constant selected voltage. A recent survey of systems for protecting electricai apparatus from the effects of various power line failures is set forth in an article entitled "Power Protectiong Equipment: A Survey" appearing on pages 38 to 45 of the July 1977 issue of "Mini-Micro Systems". The capabilities and the shortcomings of m~ny such commercially usable systems is set forth therein. It should be noted that an error appears on page 41, in that in the horizontal two rows under "Noise Rejectionn, the "Roesel Generator" (Pat. 3,521,149) should be indicated as "superior rejection", rather than being listed under "none".
It is highly desirable to have available a non-interrupt-ible power system (NIPS) to provide polyphase A.C. of a substantiallyconstant selected frequency and a substantially constant selected voltage for many commercial, industrial, governmental and defense, scientific and medical applications at a low original cost, that is efficient, easy and inexpensive to maintain, and is highly re-liable. It should be compatible or readily phased in with a publicutility power system.
Summary of the Invention In accordance with the present invention there is provided in an A.C. electrical generator capable of generating alternating current of a substantially constant frequency and of a substantially constant selected voltage, a first support means carrying at least one power field core and an exciter field core, the power field core and the exciter field core each comprising a body of high per-meability soft magnetic material having a circular surface with an applied layer of permanent magnetic material thereon, the applied ' 11'~101 layer of permanent magnetic material on the exciter field core being magnetized to a pattern of north and south magnetic poles, a second support means carrying slotted and wound armature cores equal to the number of field cores and each juxtaposed and aligned with a field core, each armature comprising a body of high permeability soft magnetic material with a circular surface close to and concentric with the circular surface of its adjacent field core, means for rotating one of the support means with respect to the other support means whereby the wound armature juxtaposed with respect to the exciter field core will generate an A.C.
potential as the magnetized layer with north and south magnetic poles moves with respect to it, the improvement comprising providing a plurality of windings in each armature juxtaposed to a power field core wherein the plurality of windings comprises a) an excitation coil energizable with A.C. current in a first pair of slots, the excitation coil producing a pattern of north and south magnetic poles in the layer of permanent magnetic material in the juxtaposed power field core, b) a supplementing winding in selected other slots for generating an A.C. potential as the so magnetized layer moves wi-th respect to the armature and the A.C. current is to be supplied to the excitation coil, and c) power output windings in other slots for generating A.C. pot-ential as the magnetized power field core rotates with respect thereto, and electrical control means to supply to the excitation coil combined with the A.C. from the supplementing windings to enable the excitation coil to produce the desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles in the layer of permanent magnetic mater-ial in the juxtaposed power field core at a desired level of magnetic remanence in order to cause the power output windings to generate A.C~ potentials of the desire substantially constant fre-quency and at the substantiall~ constant selected voltage.
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11~0101 The main object of the invention is to provide a poly-phase A.C. NIPS that is of low cost, efficient, reliable, and easily and cheaply maintained. The NIPS of this invention is normally supplied power from a public utility power line, or equi~alent source, which is subject to irregularities or inter-ruptions, to energize a rugged and reliable motor which drives a polyphase generator of novel design that produces and supplies to a load an uninterrupted output of polyphase A.C. of substan-tially constant frequency and substantially constant voltage, both voltage and frequency being selected to meet the user's requirements, regardless of any irregularities or interruptions in the utility power. The NIPS completely isolates and insulates the load which it supplies from all variations, irregularities, and failures in the utility power line.
In the event of total interruption of the utility power, the - 5b -10~

rotational inertia of the motor and generator is employed to enable the novel generator to supply the desired A.C. for a brief but substantial period of time to the load. If the utility power is interrupted for more than some 5 to 20 seconds, for instance, a stand-by engine may be automatically activated to generate power to turn the motor of the NIPS unit. When power is restored on the utility line, possibl~ days later, the NIPS unit is automatically reconnected thereto while the stand-by engine is disconnected and shut down. In any and all circumstances, the NIPS unit is able to supply the desired A.C.
without any pause to its load. The novel generator of this invention produces steadily and uninterruptedly an electrical output of, for example, 50 Hz, 60 Hz or 400 Hz, to its load even when the driving motor speed may vary or even when the load rises or falls abruptly, from any utility circuit.
For a three phase output, the novel NIPS generator comprises a support mounting three main field cores and an exciter field core, each field core being of a high permeability soft magnetic material such as laminations of 3~ silicone steel. Each of the four field cores has a cylindrical surface upon which is applied a thin layer of a hard or permanent magnetic material.
The exciter field core has its layer of permanent magnet material permanently magnetized into a pattern of north and south magnetic poles. On the main field cores the laver of permanent magnet material is magnetizable in operation of the generator to a desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles and to a remanent magnetic flux, which pattern will usually be varied continually, by an excitation coil.

On another support are mounted three main power generating slotted wound armatures and a slotted wound exciter armature, each comprising a core of laminated soft ma~letic ~lZO101 material of high permeability, and each having a cylindrical sur-face matching the cylindrïcal surface of the field cores so that they can rotate with respect to the other with a small clearance space therebetween when juxtaposed in aligned operative pOSition, The driving motor rotates one support with respect to the other so that the wound armatures can generate electrical potentials as the magnetically patterned permanent magnet layers of the field cores pass by. The term "armature" as used herein, is applied to the slotted wound cores even if they are stationary as they are in certain preferred embodiments of the invention.
The three slotted wound main power generating armature cores, other than the wound exciter armature core, each have a pair of slots with an excitation coil therein. When suitably energized with an alternating current derived from the exciter stator, the excitation coil in each power generating armature coil will magnetize the layer of permanent magnet material inthe main field core juxtaposed to it, to a predetermined pattern of north and south magnetic poles with a given level of an initial re-manent magnetic flux density. Also in each of these three wound main cores is a modifying winding placed in slots spaced from the excitation coil slots, preferably at a point diametrically opposite to the excitation coil. The modifying winding is suitably energized with electrical current to produce a magnetic flux that will be effective to change the initial remanent flux density in the layer of permanent magnetic material juxtaposed to it to a density level that will generate a desired voltage in the primary windings in the armature cores. Primary windings aredisposed in slots on each side of the diametral line passing through the excitation coil to provide for a two pole stator winding configuration. In slots at about 60 and 240 clockwise from the excitation coil are wound supplementing windings which generate an A.C. which is conveyed to the excitation coil to supplement the alternating current 010~

which is supplied from theexclter windinr~s in the exciter core.
The exciter armature slots are wound in conventional fas-hion to generate a high frequency A.C. potential as it moves with respect to the permanently magnetized layer in the exciter field core.
The primary windings in each main armature core will gen-erate single phase A.C. which has a moderate level of total harmonic distortion. The potential outputs of the three main armature cores can be combined to provide three phase A.C., which is well suited for use in many applications to advantage because it is of substantially constant frequency and voltage.
In order to meet the more exacting requirements of some applications, the total harmonic distortion present in the A.C.
potential output of the primary windings can be materially improved by providing in each of the main armature cores, sets of leading windings. These are so wound into selected slots that each will produce single phase A.C. characterized by (1) being leading from about 110 to 115 with respect to the single phase A.C. pot-ential generated by the primary winding of the same armature, but is in synchronism with the A.C. output of the primary windings of another armature core and (2) being of a modified wave shape such that when it is connected in series with the primary windings of the other armature with which it is in synchronism, a combined sinusoidal wave with low harmonic distortion is produced. A
total harmonic distortion of less than 5% can be obtained.
The primary windings will usually be with sufficlent turns to generate from about 60 to 70% of the voltage and the leading windings will provide the balance - 40% to 30%.
For an optimum improvernent in total harmonic distortion for the most demanding applications, each of the three main ~.

armature cores is also wound with sets of lagging windings.
The lagging windings are so wound into selected slots as to be a mirror image, with respect to the leading windings on a vertical plane through the excitation coil, and each will generate single phase A.C. potential characterized by (1) being lagging from about 110~ to 115 with respect to the single phase A.C. potential gen-erated in the primary windings of the same armature, but is in synchronism with the A.C. potential output of another primary winding and (2) being of a modified wave shape such that when the lagging windings are connected in series with the primary windings with which it is in syncrhonism, a great improvement in total har-monic distortion of the combined A.C. potential is obtained. By connecting a primary winding of one armature with the leading winding of another armature and the lagging winding of a third armature, with both of which it is in synchronism, the integrated single phase A.C. potential will have a very low total harmonic distortion, which may be much less than 5%. It is desirable to proportion the voltage contributions of the three sets of windings in the amount of about 50% from the primary windings, about 25%
from the leading windings and about 25% from the lagging windings.
The number of turns of each winding in the slots determines the voltage generated by the winding.
The placement of the leading windings is as follows:
(a) one set of turns is disposed in serveral slots adjacent to and on both the right and left sides of the excitation coilj and (b) a second set of turns is disposed and looped between several succ-essive slots im~ediately following, in a counter-clockwise direc-tion, the left hand slots containing the (a) set of turns, and the loops of these turns are then placed in several successive slots beginning with the first slot to the right of the diametral line extending through the modifying winding and extending counter-0~1 clockwise therefrom. The lagging windings are placed as follo~7s:
(c) one set of turns disposed in the same slots as the (a) set of leading windings; and (d) a second set of turns wound in several successive slots extending in a clockwise direction immediately following the right hand slots containing the (a) and (c) set of turns, and the turns then being wound in several successive slots beginning with the first slot to the left of the diametral line through the modifying coil and extending clockwise there-from. One skilled in the art will understand that the number of turns in each slot can vary and that the number of slots contain-ing the leading and lagging windings can be selected in accord-ance with the amount of and kind of wave shape configuration de-sired to secure a particular low level of total harmonic distor-tion. By employing the teaching set forth herein, A.C. potential outputs of a complementing shape can be secured from the leading and/or lagging windings which are applied in series to the primary windings with which the A.C. Potentials are synchronous, and when so combined provide an integrated A.C. potential of low total harmonic distortion.
Novel electrical control means are provided to carry out several functions, one function being to modify and control the flow of A.C. from the exciter windings to supply alternating cur-rent to the excitation coil~in each of the three armatures at such times, in such amounts, and at such an A.C. frequency, that the layer of permanent magnetic material in each juxtaposed field core will assume a predetermined pattern of north and south mag-netic poles at a high initial remanent flux density. The supple-menting winding is connected in a resonant circuit to furnish additional electrical current to the excitation coil in timed intervals, to supplement the electrical current derived from the exciter coil. In response to any excess voltage output of the 11~0101 primary wi.ndings induced ~hen they react wi~h the remanent flux of the north and south.pole pattern in the layer of permanent magnet material in the juxtaposed field core, the control means includes a voltage regulator that causes a timed flow of elect-rical ~urrent to the modifying windings in each armature to the extent necessary to reduce or modify the remanent flux density of each.north or south.magnetic pole in the layer of permanent magent material to a level such that t~e primary windings will generate the des:ired voltage. This control can be applied to si.ngle phase A.C. generators having a single armature, or to two phase units with.two armatures, as well as being applied to polyphase units.
The voltage output of the primary power generating wind-ings (including the leading and lagging windings) in each of the main armature cores, may be further controlled by regulating the amperage of the A.C. supplied to the excitation coil thereof, so that i.t will magnetize thR layer of permanent magnetic material to an initial remanent flux density just sufficient to induce in the primary windings the desired voltage. This can ~e readily accomplished by shunting a controllable, variable reactance across the output leads from the exciter, with the variable reactance being controlled by an output from the voltage regulator in the electrical control means. Alternatively, a variable reactance may ~e placed in series in the output leads. The voltage regulator would also concurrently supply correcting inputs to the modi.fying coil so that it will be operati~e, first, to provide for a fine voltage control by making any required small modifications in the initial remanent magentic flux density of the layer of permanent magentic material and, second, providing for a rapid change in such initial remanent flux density in the 11'~0101 event that the voltage of the winding suddenly changes due to abrupt load changes or other conditions tendiny to cause a sudden voltage variation.
Other electrical control means components are provided to become operative when the public utility power is interrupted for more than a few seconds or other predetermined time period, for example, there is employed a switch means with a time lag mechanism, which will cause a stand-by engine to be started and drive the rotor of the motor directly. This can be accomplished through a m~gnetic clutch. Alternatively the stand-by engine can drive a stand-by generator to generate electrical power which is then conveyed to operate the NIPS motor. The utility power line is also disconnected until power flow therein is resumed, at which time the electrical control means stops the engine and re-connects the motor to the utility line.
Description of the Drawings Figure l is a schematic overall view, partly in cross-section, of the NIPS system;
Figure 2 is a plan view of a stator with windings;
Figure 3 is a block circuit diagram of the electrical control means;
Figure 3A is a circuit diagram of a modified circuit applied to a single stator;
Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the exciter for a stator;
Figure 5 is a circuit diagram of a modification of a por-tion of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section through a modified motor-generator unit; and Figure 7 is a circuit diagram of a modified electrical control system applied to a single stator.

()101 Detailed Description of the Inventlon In Figure 1 of the drawing, there is a showing, partly in cross-section and partly schematically, of a NIPS unit 10 for supplying an electrical output of substantially constant selected frequency three phase A.C. current, at a substantially constan-t selected voltage. The NIPS unit 10 is normally energized by electrical current from a utility power source 12, or an equiva-lent source of electrical power, which is subject to interruptions.
For NIPS units of, say two kilowatts and higher output, the util-ity power source 12 will usually supply three phase, 60 or 50 ~z A.C., introduced by the usual three wire line 14. For smaller NIPS units, of a kilowatt or less output, a single phase A.C.
line may be adequate.
The line 14 leads to a transfer switch 16 from which, as long as usable electrical power flows from source 12, elec-trical current is conveyed by wiring 18 to a motor contactor unit 20. In starting the system from standstill conditions, the con-tactor unit 20 initially supplies electrical current through wiring 22 to a rugged starting motor 24 which is desirably an induction motor with a high resistance rotor so that as full line voltage is applied to the field there is developed a high resistance which limits the field current in the stator to an acceptable low value. The frame of starting motor 24 is joined to the frame of a running motor 28 with their shafts united to-gether and running as a unit. When the starting motor 24 reachesa speed close to the desired operating speed of the system, as for example about 2/3 thereof, the motor contactor unit 20 oper-ates to switch the line current passing through lead 22 to pass through leads 26 to running motor 28 which is a high efficiency and reliable induction motor such, for example, as a squirrel cage motor, whichwhenso energized by current from line 18 will 0~

soon attain a normal operating speed of about 3550 rpm, if 60 ~Iz output is desired,at full rated load. Power to the starting motor 24 is interrupted hy the contactor unit 20 either as soon as running motor 28 is energized or soon thereafter. Thereupon motor 28 operates alone in normal functioning of the system 10, wherein the motor operates a generator, generally indicated as 30.
Generator Unit The joined frames of motors 24 and 28 are firmly attached to the upper face of a box girder shaped support housing 32, which is suitably mounted on the top end of a generally cylindrical main housing frame 36. The lower end 40 of the con-joined motor shafts projects into the space within the support housing 32 where it is connected by a coupling 42 to the upper end of a generator shaft 44 of the generator unit 30. The gen-erator shaft 44 projects downwardly toward the lower end of the main housing frame 36, where it ends in a tapered terminal 46 which is provided with a keyway or spline so that it will rigidly fit within a mating socket in a lower hub 48 to be driven there-by, with bolt means 49 fastening them together. The lower hub48 has a downwardly projecting central end bearing 50 turning freely in a flange bearing 52 attached by bolts 54 passing through rubber shock mountings to a s-tringer plate 56 whose ends are affixed, as by bolts or welds, to the inside walls of the main housing frame 36. This construction maintains the lower end of the shaft 44 in a precise centered position and reduces vibration and also restricts lateral movement thereof.
To the lower hub 48 is firmly affixed both a lower circu-lar plate 58 and a central cylindrical retainer 60 with an in-turned upper flange 62, so that they rotate as a unit. The in-turned flange 62 embraces the outer race of a ball bearing 64 about which it can rotate freely. Air passages 59 are provided 11'~0101 in the lower plate 58, to which cooling air ls admitted by open-ings 37 at the bottom of the housing frame 36. Attached to the outer periphery of the lower circular plate 58 is a large cylin-drical rotor sleeve 66 which extends upwardly and coaxially about the shaft 44 and has bolted or releasably fastened to its top end an upper rotor end plate 68 provided with air vents 67. Thus, cooling air entering by openings 37 passes through air passages 59 to the interior of rotor sleeve 66, and heated air escapes through air vents 67, and finally exhausts through the open, upper end of housing frame 36. A clear~nce space 69 is present between the housing frame 36 and rotor sleeve 66 to enable free rotation of the latter as it is revolved by shaft 44, as well as letting cooling air to circulate therethrough.
The current generating components of the generator 30 are located within the cylindrical rotor sleeve 66 and comprise three rotating field cores 70A, 70B and 70C affixed to the inside walls 71 of the rotor sleeve 66. Each field core is comprised of a soft magnetic material of high permeability such as silicon steel laminations, cobalt-iron laminations or compactedparticles of soft magnetic material such as soft iron or silicon-iron.
Each of the field cores 70A, 70B and 70C has a large central cylindrical aperture 72 coaxial with shaft 44. On the face of each aperture is applied a thin layer 74A, 74B and 74C respective-ly of a permanent or hard magnetic material, preferably a high resistance ceramic material such as, for example, barium ferrite, strontium ferrite or mixed ferrite, or the like material with a high magnetic memory, applied either as thin pla~es cemented to the face of the aperture or applied as a mixture of powered ceramic magnetic or Alnico material and a resinous binder and cured in situ~ The exposed face 75 of each of the permanent magnet layers 74A, 74B and 74C is cylindrical and coaxial with 11'~0101 with shaft 44. Spacer rings 76 affixed to the inside walls of the rotor sleeve 66 are disposed below, between and above the field cores 70A, 70B and 70C in order to position and maintain the field cores in place.
Above the topmost spacer ring 76 placed at the upper end of core 70C is disposed a smaller exciter field core 80 comprised of high perme~bility, soft magnetic material similar to that in the other cores 70A, 7QB and 70C. Field core 80 has a central cylindrical aperture 82 coaxial with the shaft 44 and on the face of this cylindrical aperture 82 is placed a layer 84 of permanently magnetized, permanent magnet material, which may be of the type used for layer 74, and cemented thereon by an epoxy, polyester or other resin. These permanent magnets are arranged with a selected number and configuration of alternate North and South poles. The exposed surface of the layer 84 is cylindrical and coaxial with shaft 44. A retainer ring 86 affixed to the inside walls of sleeve 66 is placed above and in contact with the top end of field core 80 so as to keep it firmly in place.
Generator Stator Extending through the bottom wall of the box girder shaped support housing 32 is a large collar bushing 90, welded or bolted thereto, having a conical bore therein into which is fitted an upper stepped support 92 which has a mating conical portion 94, and support 92 is firmly and non-rotatably fastened therein by a lock nut 96. Below the conical portion 94 of sup-port 92 is a shoulder or step 98 on which firmly rests a ball bearing 100 to whose outer race is attached the upper rotor plate 68, so that the latter can freely rotate about the fixed support 92. The upper end of a long tubular sleeve 102 is securely fastened into an internal bore in the fixed support 92, and pro-`` llf~O101 jects downwardly and concentrically about shaft 44 with a clear-ance space being present between them. The lower end of the tubular sleeve 102 terminates at the lower hub 48 in a shoulder or step 107, into which the inner race of ball bearing 64 fits and is retained firmly thereon by suitable fastening means such as a lock nut.
Just above the ball bearing 64, the tubular sleeve 102 has a ring plate 109 slidably mounted thereon, and resting on this ring plate are a series of successive slotted stator cores llOA, llOB, and llOC, each of which is operatively juxtaposed and aligned with an adjacent co-operating field core 7OA, 7OB
and 70C, respectively. Each slotted stator core llOA, llOB
and llOC is comprised of high permeability, soft magnetic material such as laminations of 3~ silicon steel. The slotted stator cores have cylindrical outer surfaces which are coaxial with shaft 44, with a small clearance space between such surface and the aligned co-operating cylindrical faces 75 of the field cores. In the slots of the stator cores llOA, llOB and llOC
are disposed windings which are generally indicated as 114 in Figure 1. However, the windings in the stator cores are unusual in number, arrangement and function, and a fuller description will be given subsequently, particularly with reference to Figure 2 where they are shown and will be described in greater detail.
The slotted stator cores have spacers 115 between each other and a spacer 116 is present on top of core llOC. Disposed on spacer 116 is a slotted exciter stator core 118 which is operatively juxtaposed and aligned with the exciter field core 80. Exciter windings 120 are placed in the slots of exciter core 118 and are so arranged that when the exciter field core 80 with layer 84 of permanent magnetic pattern passes with respect ,. ,.~ ~ ~

to it, there will be generated an A.C. potential, preferably three phase A.C. of a high frequency. This is secured by pro-viding a large number of successive north and south magnetic poles in layer 84, and arranging the windings 120 in the slots of the exciter core, so that the frequency output of the exciter 120 at the rotational speed of the shaft 44 is a substantial number of times greater than the desired frequency of the main A.C. output to the load. For example, if the desired main A.C.
output is 60 Hz, then the exciter stator windings should gen-erate three phase A.C. of the order of from 400 Hz to 1800 Hz, for reasons to be set forth later.
In order to fasten the several stator cores rigidly onthe tubular sleeve 102, a retainer plate 122 is welded to the tubular sleeve and carries three long bolts (not shown~ which pass through the holes 202 (Figure 2) in the four cores llOA, llOB, llOC and 118 and extend through holes in the ring plate 109, so that when nuts are applied underneath the ring plate 109 and tightened, the bolts will clamp the ring plate 109, the four cores and the spacers 115 and 116 into a rigid unitary assembly, suspended from the retainer plate 122.
In order to bring electrical leads to the windings 114 and 120, several slots or channels (not shown~ are provided in the stepped support 92 and from thence the leads are passed in pairs through the peripheral slots in exciter core 118, and then through some of the slots in stator cores llos and llOC. No leads extend beyond core llOA. A bundle of leads 130 is shown in Figure 1 which extends from the generator 30 to an electrical control means 132, as well as load output leads 134 being pre-sent which are connected to the electrical apparatus to which it is desired to supply three phase A.C. potential of selected substantially constant frequency and voltage.

Stator Core Windings Reference should be had to Figure 2, wherein is shown a plan view of the stator llOA with its several windings and coils. Stator cores llOB and llOC are similarly constructed and wound. The core llOA comprises, for example, a stack of punched laminations of 3% silicon steel of high premeability having the unusual configuration of notches or slots and teeth as depicted. Each lamination of the core llOA has a large cen-tral aperture 200 which fits snugly around the tubular sleeve 102. A series of small holes 202, usually three being sufficient, are present to facilitate alignment of the laminations in a punch pres~ for punching out the differently shaped notches, to enable the several laminations to be assembled and stacked into a solid core, and to admit the long bolts previously mentioned to hold the core llOA as well as the other cores, in a rigid assembly from plate 122 in the generator.
At the top of the stator core llOA, as viewed in Figure 2, are two large slots 204 and 206 on either side of a relatively large tooth 208 around which is disposed a large excitation coil 210. The electrical control means 132 supplies a specific A.C. potential derived from the exciter windings 12Q to the excitation coil 210. When so energized the excitation coil 210 will develop at peak amperage, a high magnetic flux at the re-latively narrow area of tooth 208, which will magnetize to satur-ation, or other high flux level, selected immediately adjacent areas of the permanent magnetic material in layer 74A of the field core 70A as it rotates about the stator llOA. An important feature of the invention is to provide this narrow intense, magne-tic flux field for reasons of effectivenessand high efficiency of operation of the generator 30. By the functioning of the excita-tion coil 210, there is developed in layer 74A a desired north X

01~1 and south magnetic pole pattern in the permanent magnetic mat-erial, with an initial remanent magnetic flux density close to the saturation or Br of the magnetic material. Thus the excitation coil 210 and tooth 208 constitute a magnetic writing head oper-ating on the magnetizable permanent magnetic material in layer 74A, which can change any portion of a previously applied magn-etic pole to any desired flux density level, determined by the current in coil 210, from saturation in one polarity to saturation in the opposite polarity.
At a point spa~ced from the excitation coil 210, and pre-ferably diametrically opposite to tooth 208, are at least one pair of slots 212 of intermediate length, four being shown in the drawing, with at least one tooth 214 therebetween, with a modifying winding 216 disposed with most of its turns about tooth (or teethL 214, hut permissibly with some turns also dispos-ed in the ïmmediately adjacent smaller slots 222 and surr-ounding teeth 22Q. There may be four or more slots 212 of inter-mediate length in order to accommodate all the windings. The electrical control means 132 supplies alternating electrical current in a timed relation and in a precisely determined amount to modifying winding 216, usually in an amount to develop a lower magnetic flux density at teeth 214 than at tooth 2Q8, so that as the previously magnetized layer 74A passes by tooth or teeth 214 it will slightly demagnetize the magnetic north and south magnetic poles present in layer 74A to a desired, usually lower, remanent magnetic flux density. By so controlling the remanent flux density of the previously imprinted permanent magnets in layer 74A, the potential that they induce in the primary output windings in stator core llOA is maintained at a controlled desired value. The modifying windings can be at other locatlons than at the point diametrically opposite to the 11~0101 excitation coil 210, however, excellent results have been ob-tained when located as shown and described.
In order to supply more efficiently the necessary elec-trical current to excitation coil 210, a feedback or supplement-ing winding 218 is disposed in slots which are about 60 and 240 in a clockwise direction from tooth 208. The passing of the magnetized layer 74A, with respect to the supplementing winding 218, will induce therein an A.C. potential which is applied through a resonant or tank circuit incorporating the excitation coil 21Q and a capacitor, and supplements the A.C. curr-ent applied by the electrical control means 132 to the excita-tion coil. Thus, in one practical embodiment of the invention, the control means 132 supplied about 2 amperes of electrical current derived from the exciter winding 120, while the supple-menting winding 218 furnished from 4 to 6 amperes of current to the excitation coil.
Each wound main stator core (other than the exciterstator) has a two pole winding configuration provided by two sets of primary windings 224 and 226 which generate the main A.C.
potential, the primary windings being wound into a majority of the small slots 222 as well as in slots 212. In one embodiment, one set of primary windings 224 are placed in the first eight slots 222 immediately to the right of the slots 204-206 and also pass through the first eight bottom slots extending counter-clockwise from the diametral line passing from the excitationcoil 210 to the slots 212, therebeing some eight intervening unfilled slots 222. The other set of primary windings 226 are placed in the first eight slots 222 to bhe left of the slots 204-206 and also being placed in the first eight slots at the bottom, extending clockwise from the diametral line passing through the excitation coil and the slots 212. The emplaced ~lZO10~

windings 224 and 226 are mirror images in a vertical plane.
As the field cores with their layers 74A, 74B and 74C magnet-ized to a nor-th and south pole pattern rotate about the stator cores 110A, 110s and 110C, they will induce an A.C. potential in the primary windings 224 and 226 of a substantially constant voltage and of a substantially constant frequency with only a moderate amount of total harmonic distortion, and is eminently suitable for many applications in commerce and industry. Each set of primary windings in each core produces single phase A.C.
potential, and the stators are so arranged radially on tubular sleeve 112 that the excitation coils are 120 apart with respect to each other, and that each stator's A.C. output is 120 out of phase with that of each of the other two stator's output.
By simply employing a common neutral lead and three leads to each of the sets of primary windings, a three phase A.C. output is obtained.
~owever, for many demanding applications it is desirable to have a main A.C. potential output from the generator 30 with low total harmonic distortion. In order to accomplish this, ¦ 20 there are disposed both leading windings 228 and lagging windings 230 in selected positions in each of cores 110A, 110B and 110C.
I As mentioned earlier, appreciable bene~fits are obtained in t improved total harmonic distortion if only the leading or the I lagging windings are used.
! 25 Referring to Figure 2, the placement of the leading windings 228 in the specific core configuration there shown, is in the following manner: One set of turns 228A is wound into the first eight successive slots 222 on both the right hand and left hand of the excitation coil 210. The other set of turns 228B is wound between the eight successive slots proceeding counter-clockwise from the eighth slot with turns 228A, and the 11~0~01 eight successive slots proceediny in a counter-clockwise dire-ction from the first bottom slot to the right of a diametral line 229 extending from the center of the excitation coil 210 to the slots 212. The lagging windings 230 are placed with one set of turns 230A being placed in the same eight slots on both sides of the excitation coil as those in which the turns 228A were placed. The second set of turns 230B are wound between the successive eight slots proceeding in a clockwise direction from the eighth slot on the right hand side from the excitation coil, and the eight successive slots in a clockwise direction from the first bottom slot to the left of the diametral line through the excitation coil 210.
'~hen the field cores 7QA, 70B and 70C with their mag-netized layers 74 rotate about the wound stators llOA, llOB and llOC, the leading windings 228 in each stator will generate a single phase A.C. potential that leads the A.C. potential generated in the primary windings 224 and 226 of the same stator by an angle of about 112, but it is in synchronism with the single phase A . C . potential of another stator. The lagging 20 windings in each stator will generate single phase A.C. potential that lags by about 112 the single phase A.C. potential generated by the primary windings of the same stator, but it is in synch-ronism with the single phase A. C . potential generated by the primary windings of another stator, but not the same stator with which the leading windings are in synchronism. Thus the primary windings of each stator are connected in series with the leading windings of one other stator and the lagging windings of the third stator. The three combined single phase potentials of these synchronous outputs are complementary and result in an integrated sinusoidal voltage wave with very little harmonic distortion, substantially less than 5~ being attainable. The ~ 23 -11~0101 number of turns of each of the windings in the slots is such that the leading windings and the lagging windings have an equal num-ber and the primary windings have as many turns as the total turns of the leading and lagging windings, and the voltages generated in each winding is directly proportional to the turns.
Electrical Control Means A circuit diagram of one form of a suitable efficient and reliable control means is shown in Figures 3 and 4. Referr-ing to Figure 3, A.C. potential developed in windings 120 of theexciter 118 is conveyed by leads 130 to a power supply unit 150.
It is desirable that the frequency of the A.C. from the windings 120 be a substantial number of times greater than the desired frequency of the A.C. potential from windings 224-226. Thus, if the desired frequency from windings 224-226 is 50 Hz or 60 Hz, a suitable frequency from the exciter windings would be from 400 Hz to 1800 Hz . For a 60 Hz output from the primary windings 224-226, the power supply unit 150 rectifies a portion of, for example 600 Hz A.C., conveyed by the leads 130 and the direct current is carried by leads 154 to an oscillator divider driver unit 156. Also within the power unit 150 are a series of se-condary coils coupled in transformer relation with primary coils supplied the A.C. by leads 130, and from the series of coils, A.C. potential is conveyed by leads 152A, 152B, and 152C
to exciter driver units 160A, 160B, and 160C, respectively.
Utilizing this A.C. potential, the first exciter driver unit 160A converts the high frequency A.C. to precisely 60 Hz single phase A.C. and supplies this potential by conductor 162A to the excitation coil 210A, which is in a resonant circuit (either in series or in parallel) with a capacitor 164A and the supple-menting winding 218A. The second exciter driver unit 160B

1~0101 and the third exciter driver unit 160C are each connected in a resonant or tank circuit with their respective excitation coils 210B and 210C, capacitors 164B and 164C and supplementing wind-ings 218B and 218C. The single phase A.C. potentials in these excitation coils 210B and 210C are 120~ and 240 out of phase, respectively, with the A.C. potential in coil 210A.
A suitable oscillator driver divider 156 is the unit illustrated in Figure lOb and described in column 8 and else-where in U.S. Patent 3,931,535 issued January 6, 1976.
In order to control the voltage in the A.C. output of the primary windings 224-226, and leading and lagging windings, if any, of generator 30, the first exciter driver 160A conveys an A.C. potential by line 166A to a first voltage regulator 168A. The voltage regulator 168A also receives, via lead 173A
and common neutral 174A, the electrical A.C. potential from an output winding 170A, which latter schematically represents the totality of the windings 224, 226, 228 and 230 which are in series with each other, and the regulator compares in known manner the two voltages. The voltage regulatorshown in Figure lOd of U.S. Patent 3,931,535 and described in column 9 and elsewhere in this patent, may be employed for regulators 168A, 168B and 168C. If the voltage generated in output winding 170A
is higher than desired, that is greater than in line 166A, then the voltage regulator 168A functions to transmit by conductors 176A sufficient amperage to modifying windings 216A to generate a demagnetizing flux at teeth 214. This is sufficient to de-magnetize the north and south poles in layer 74A to a remanent flux density level that will generate in the windings 170A the desired A.C. potential. Similar voltage regulation is effected by the voltage regulators 168B and 168C. Consequently, the con-ductors 172A, 172B and 172Cwill furnish three phase A.C. of 01~1 a substantially constant voltage and frequency to the ultimate load.
Details of the circuitry of the exciter driver unit 160A
are shown in Figure 4. 600 Hz A.C., for example, conveyed by leads 152 from the power supply unit 150, energizes a transformer unit having a winding 151 and a magnetic core 153 coupled with windings 180, 181, 182, and 183 of the exciter driver unit, so as to furnish A.C. for the excitation coil 210A of the first stator core 70A. The transformer windings 180 and 181 have a center tap 210 and one outer connection 184 which thereof carries A.C. from winding 180 to a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) unit 185, while another outer connection 186 from the winding 181 leads to a second SCR unit 187. In parallel fashion, windings 182 and 183 have a center tap connection 188 while an outer connection lead 189 carries current from winding 184 to a third SCR unit 190, and another outer connecting lead 191 car-ries A.C. from the winding 182 to a fourth SCR unit 192. The four SCR units 185, 187, 190, and 192 are provided with suitably timed 60 Hz gating electrical pulses from the oscillator divider driver 156, by leads 158 connected to the gating terminals of the SCR units. In operation, when producing a 60 Hz A.C. out-put, a common conductor 193 of the four SCR units receives in each l/120th of a second, a wave of one polarity comprising a plurality of successive rectified half cycles of positive and negative 600 cycle potential with a small interval of no poten-tial between successive 60 Hz half cycles. An appreciable zero potential interval between each half cycle is desirable in order to assure proper rectification of the 600 Hz by the SCR units.
In order to eliminate or reduce high frequency transients, such as spikes or other undesirable potentials, the rectified cur-rent in conductor 193 is in circuit with an inductance 194 11~0~01 connected to the center tap of a winding 195 of a choke trans-former with an air gap 196. The 60 Hz current flows from the winding 195 by leads 1~7 and 198 to the excitation coil 210A
and supplementing windings 218A connected in a resonant (series of parallel) circuit with a capacitor 164A. The circuit to the center taps 210 and 188 respectively, is completed by leads 199 and 2Ql.
~hile Figure 4 shows a circuit using SCR units, it will be understood that other equivalent semiconductor devices may be substituted by one skilled in the art. Thus, transistors and similar semiconductor devices that can be precisely controlled to conducting and non-conducting states, can be employed to pro-duce the desired A . C . in the circuit of Figures 3 and 4.
Referring to Figure 3A, there is shown a modified voltage regulator circuit. In Figure 3, the first voltage re-gulator 168A supplied regulating potential only to the modify-ing windings 216A, in order that these windings effect an appro-priate change in the initial remanent magnetic flux in the layer 74A. In the modification of Figure 3A, a first voltage regulator 468A, energized by a potential received from the first e~citer driver through lead 166A, supplies a first regulating A.C. vol-tage by conductors 176A to the modifying windings 216A and there-by effects a prompt change in the initial remanent magnetic flux in layer 74A, of the field core 70A of Figure 1. The voltage regulator 468A also supplies a second regulating A.C. voltage by conductor 470, to a shunt reactance unit 472 disposed across leads 152, which carry A.C. potential from the exciter windings 120. The shunt reactance unit 472 may comprise an inductance coil 474 and a magnetic amplifier coil unit 476, which latter comprises two coils 478 and 480 with an interposed magnetic core 482, and operates in well known fashion. When A.C. poten-10~ , tial is applied from the regulator 468A to coil 480, it will vary the reactance of the coils 474 and 478 and this in turn, in known manner, will vary the voltage being delivered by leads 152 to coil 151. Thus, by means of the shunt reactance 472, the voltage in coil 151 is easily and closely controlled at a selected level by the regulator 468A. As a consequence, the voltage developed in coils 180, 181, 182, and 183 also will be at a selected level, so that the excitation coil 210A is supplied a sufficient A.C. amperage to enable the coil to magnetize the layer 74A to a desired initial remanent magnetic flux density, which will induce in the windings 114 in the first stator, a potential very close to, if not exactly at, the desired output voltage of the generator 30. ~hen required, the regulator supplies, by conductors 176A, a small correcting A.C. potential to the modifying winding 216A, which in effect causes an immediate fine control of the remanant magnetic flux in layer 74A, and this brings the voltage output induced in windings 114 to the desired value.
The use of a shunted reactance across leads 152, which responds to the regulator 468A, is only one means of controlling the voltage in line 152 from the exciter windings. Alternatively, there may be inserted in series in line 152, a variable reactance unit (for instance a resistance operable by a motor) responsive to signals from the regulator 468A to increase or decrease the reactance in line 152 and thereby correspondingly change the potential being delivered to coil 151 so that coils 180, 181, 182, and 183 have the exact potential necessary to properly energize excitation coil 210A, so as to produce the required initial remanent magnetic flux density in layer 74A.
Since there will usually be few undesirable electrical transients flowing in the condutor 193, in many cases there ~' 010~

will be no need to employ the choke transformer 195 of the Figure 4 circuit. In Figure 5 is shown a modification, wherein the lead 193 of Figure 4 conveys the 60 Hz current to the inductance 194 which is connected to a center tap in excitation coil 210A, while to the outer ends of the excitation coil are connected the supplementing winding 218A and a capacitor 164A
in a resonant circuit, with leads 199 and 201 also being connec-ted thereto to complete the circuit.
Referring to Figure 7 of the drawing, there is shown a modified form of the invention, wherein the exciter windings 120, as well as the electrical control means, are also modified. In this form of the invention, there are as many sets of exciter winding phases as there are phases of A.C. potential to be gen-erated by the generator 30. Thus, if the generator 30 is to produce a single phase A.C., then there is only one phase wind-ing in the exciter stator 368, as shown in Figure 6, while for a three phase output by generator 30, as is shown in Figure 1, there are three winding phases 120 in the exciter stator 118.
Further, each of the winding phases in the exciter correspon~s to the number of the power output stator cores in the generator 30, that is, one for each of the stators llOA, llOB and llOC
in the three phase generator there shown. Each of the phase windings in the exciter stator comprises a plurality of pairs of separate coils, four coils preferably forming each phase wind-ing, and each coil is so wound that it generates the same volt-age as the other coils. These four coils forming a single phase winding are shown as coils 420A, 420B, 420C and 420D in Figure 7. each of the coils has a pair of conductors extending from the exciter to the electrical control means, namely 184 and 199 for coil 420A, 186 and the common lead 199 for coil 420B, while conductors 191 and 189 and common lead 201 come from coils 420C

il~O10~

and 420D. A small rectifier (not shown) is connected to the coils to provide through conductor 154, the small amount of direct current needed to power the oscillator dividel driver unit such as 156.
One of the conductors from each exciter coil is connected to the input terminal of a controllable semiconductor such as a gated rectifier, for example an SCR unit. In Figure 7, conductor 184 is connected to SCR unit 185, 186 is connected to SCR unit 187, 189 is connected to SCR unit 190, and conductor 191 is connected to SCR unit 192. The SCR units are connected to gate leads 159 and 161 which are supplied timed gating signal pulses from the oscillator divider driver 156 via leads 158 and 159, so that the high frequency A.C. from the four exciter coils is converted to lower frequency A. C ., corresponding to the desired frequency of the generator 30. Each of the lower frequency cycles comprises alternate positive and negative pulses, wherein each pulse comprises a series of full waves of rectified high frequency A.C. derived from the coils 420A, 420B, 420C, and 420D. The output terminals of the four SCR units are connected to conductor 193, which conveys the low frequency A.C. so produced to an inductance 194 and thence to the excitation coil 210A, which is connected in a resonant circuit with a capacitor 164A
and the supplementing winding 218A. The excitation coiI 210A
magnetizes the layer 74A into the pattern of magnetization with an initial remanent magnetic flux density.
; A voltage regulator 468A, supplied with power by leads 166A from the first exciter driver, receives voltage indications from leads 173A and 174A, from the output windings 170A of gen-erator 30, and senses any departures from the desired selected voltage. If there is any such departure from the selected voltage, the voltage regulator sends a correcting A. C . signal ~ 0101 signal by conductors 470A and 470B to shunt reactance 472A, shunted across the leads 184 and 186, and shunt reactance 472B
shunted across leads 189 and 191. The reactances are similar to the shunt reactance 472 in Figure 3A. The shunt reactances 472A and 472B cause the A. C . potentials generated in coils 420A, 420B, 420C and 420D to be correspondingly increased or reduced, and this in turn causes the A. C . potential to be similarly increased or reduced in the excitation coil 210A, which thereby changes the initial remanent flux density in the layer 74A and this in turn increases or reduces the voltage in the output windings 170A.
Concurrently, the voltage regulator 468A sends appropri-ate signals to the modifying coil 216A by leads 175A, to effect a prompt change in the initial remanent magnetic flux density of the layer 74A.
It will be understood that there will be equivalent electrical control assemblies as shown in Figure 7 for each phase of the generator 30. Consequently, there are three such assem-blies for a three phase generator with, of course, a single oscillator divider driver unit.
It will be understood that the positions of the field cores and the stators can be reversed, so that the field cores with cylindrical outer surfaces can be mounted directly on shaft 44, while the stators can be placed in a stationary cylindrical shell, the stators having a cylindrical aperture which surrounds the field cores. The inertia of the rotating mass is less in this arrangement than in the structural configuration of Figure 1, so that the rotating mass will lose more speed per unit of time when power to motor 28 is interrupted. The Figure 1 con-figuration has a relatively long coasting time per unit incre-ment of speed loss, and this is a desirable property. In one NIPS

~r 11~0101 unit constructed as shown in Figure 1, the field core rotor took 10 seconds to lose 10% of its normal running speed of 3550 rpm, and it still delivered 60 Hz A.C. at full voltage for longer than this period when thQ motor was without power.
It is ordinarily preferred that the wound stators or armatures be stationary, since this eliminates any need for brushes or slip rings to supply electrical current to the windings and to bring generated current out to the load.
Standby Auxiliary Power Referring to Figure 1, conductors 25a connected to utility line 14 supply electrical potential to a sensor and delay unit 252, which ïs suitably programmed to sense any fault, such as abnormally low voltages in line 14 or total interruptions of A.C. therein. A time delay mechanism, which is preset to function after this fault in line 14 continues for more than some 2 to 5 seconds, then sends a control signal by leads 254 to the transfer switch 16, to cause it to disconnect line 14 from the line 18 leading to the motors 24-28, and at the same time, or - earlier, the sensor transmits a control signal to a standbyengine unit 256, by leads 258, to cause a starter to function on the engine 256. In about five seconds the engine unit 256 will have reached full speed and will drive an A.C. generator 260 connected to it, to produce sufficient A.C. to be able to oper-ate motor 28. The transfer switch 16 will receive this A.C.
power from generator 26Q, from conductors 262 which it connects into line 18. In a total elapsed time of less than 10 seconds since line 14 had a fault or interruption, the standby engine unit 256-260 will provide full power to the generator 28, so that it will resume operating at normal speed. Up to this mom-ent, the inertia of motors 24 and 28 and generator 30 was being employed to supply the desired A.C. into the line 134. In X

1~010~

units for commercial use, in ten seconds they will lose less than 10~ of their speed. However, the output A.C. will show no appreciable variation in voltage or frequency.
The sensor and delay unit may be energized by a separate battery, but can be easily energized by electrical power furnished by leads to the output line 134. Similarly, the engine unit can employ a storage battery to energize its starter, but conven-iently can also be supplied with electrical current drawn from leads 134. This eliminates the problem of battery maintenance.
The generator will supply the modest requirements of a starter without a noticeable change in the voltage output.
When utility power is restored to lines 14, the sensor and delay unit will signal transfer switch to reconnect line 18 to line 14 and simultaneously disconnect the conductors 262 from line 18. Engine unit 256 will be shut down at the same time.
Further, a diesel engine or a gasoline engine can be coupled directly with the shafts of the motors 24-28 through a magnetic clutch. The magnetic clutch normally disconnects the motors 24-28 from the engine, as long as electrical power flows from line 14. However, on interruption of electrical power in line 14, the electrical controls will energize the magnetic clutch, possibly after a timed delay of a second or more in case the power interruption is only momentary, and the rota-tional energy of the motors 24-28 and generator 30 will cause the diesel or gasoline engine to turn over and operate in a matter of a second or so. The engine will pick up speed rapidly, and in a few seconds it will be directly driving the motors 24-28 and generator 30 at a desired speed of, for example, about 3600 rpm. During this period from line power interruption until the engine is operating at full speed, the generator 30 will be pro-ducing A.C. potential at 60 Hz and constant voltage.

X

~lZ~)101 It will be understood that fuses and circuit breakers will be applied to lines 14 and elsewhere to protect the equip-ment and relays in case of excessive or dangerous voltage condi-tions. Ilightning arrestors can also be connected into the lines 14 for safety and to prevent damage.
Referring to Figure 6, there is shown a modified genera-tor unit 300, having a single output stator and an exciter cap-able of furnishing single phase A.C. potential of substantially constant frequency and substantially constant voltage, to a load needing electrical energy of this type. Many control systems are adequately powered by such single phase A.C. providing it is of a selected constant voltage and frequency. The electrical ; control means described and shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 7, whenapplied to the Figure 6 modification, will enable this desired single phase A.C. to be produced, using of course, the control means applied to a single stator such as llOA.
The generator unit 300 comprises a cylindrical casing 302, provided with cooling air inlet openings 304 at its lower end, with a plurality of support blocks 306 applied by bolts 308 to the inside walls. Each support block 306 has a vertical cylindrical bore 310 into which a shouldered pin 312 fits firmly, with the upper end of each pin 312 fitted with an elastomeric grommet 314 adapted to receive an apertured support plate 316, and held in place by a nut 317 threaded onto pin 312. In plate 316 is a large central opening 318 into which is welded the low-er end of a large collar 319. The collar 319 has a recess at its bottom end into which is press fitted a ball bearing 320, the inside race of the bearing supports a shaft 322 connected at its lower end to an induction motor 324. The motor 324 comp-rises a motor frame 326 affixed to plate 316, as by bolting inside of which is a field winding and magnetic core 328, while llZO101 its rotor 330 is affixed to rotate shaft 322. The upper end of shaft 322 has a coned terminal 332 fitting into a mating conical aperture in a hub 334 and both are non-rotatably joined by a key 336 and bolt means 337. An upper ball bearing 338 is app-lied to the shaft 322 just below coned terminal 332 thereof, with the outer race of the bearing being supported within a shouldered recess in the upper end of a large cylindrical sleeve 360, welded or otherwise united rigidly at its lower end to a collar 319. To the hub 334 is a heavy disk member 340 fast-ened by bolts 342. The disk member 340 has heavy cylindrical walls 344 extending downwardly from its rim, with an internal shoulder 345 where they meet. Pressed against shoulder 345 is an exciter field core 346 of soft magnetic material, as for example, laminations of silicon steel, having an internal cy-lindrical aperture with a layer of permanent magnetic material 348 magnetized in a series of north and south poles. A spacer sleeve (not shown) abuts the bottom face of field core 346 and extends a distance downwardly where it meets a power field core 350 of a soft magnetic material, which may be of laminations of silicon steel also. The power field core 350 has a cylindrical surfaced aperture on which is applied a layer 352 of magnetiz-able permanent magnetic material such as barium ferrite. A
retainer plate 354 is bolted to the lower end of the cylindrical wall 344 and bears against the bottom face of the power field core 350, thereby clamping the cores 346 and 350 firmly in place within the walls 344.
Disposed about sleeve 360 and resting on the upper face of collar 319 is a slotted wound stator core 362, with an exci-tation coil 364 placed in two slots thereof, and primary, modi-fying and supplementing windings disposed in other slots. A
spacer sleeve 366 placed on the upper face of core 362 spaces i~O101 an exciter stator 368, which is slotted and carries exciter wind-ings. The stator 362 and 368 are juxtaposed and aligned with the field cores 350 and 346 so that each one is operatively and functionally associatedwith respect to the magnetic fields set up by the layers 352 and 348 of permanent magnetic material.
Both of the stators 362 and 368 are of soft magnetic material such as laminations of silicon steel. A retaining collar 370 is applied to the upper face of stator 368, and several long bolts 372 are passed through holes in collar 370, the stator cores 362 and 368 threadedly engaged at their lower ends in collar 319, and nuts are applied to their upper ends so that nuts can be turned to form a rigid assembly of the stator cores about sleeve 360.
In operation of the Figure 6 device, the motor 324 ro-tates the shaft 322 and the attached disk member 340-344, with its exciter field core 346 and main field core 350 thereon at a high speed about the stationary stators 362 and 368. The wind-ings in the exciter stator 368 generate A.C. as they cut through the magnetic field set up by the permanently magnetized layer 348 on field core 346. The excitation coil 364 in the main stator 362 is supplied A.C. of a frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, for instance, by the electrical control means in the manner des-cribed and shown in Figures 3, 3A, 4 and 5, and will magnetize layer 352 into a pattern of north and south magnetic poles at an initial remanent magnetic flux density so that the primary windings will generate A.C. of the identical frequency supplied the excitation coil. The supplementing ~indings in stator 362 are connected to supply a portion of the energizing A.C. in a timed relation to the excitation coil 364, while the modifying windings in stator 362 are energized by the electrical control means to change, if necessary, the remanent magnetic flux density in the layer 352 to a level that will cause the primary wind-ings to generate a voltage of precisely the desired value.
Accordingly, the output of the primary windings in stator 362 will be single phase A.C. of a substantially constant frequency and selected voltage.
In the devices of Figure 1 and 6, the excitation coil functions to imprint a pattern of north and south magnetic poles in the layers of permanent magnetic material, as in layer 74A, for example. If the field core is rotating at 3600 rpm and the desired output of the generator is 60 Hz A.C., then the magnetic pattern in layer 74A would simply be retraced at each revolu-tion when the stator is wound in a two pole configuration.
However, a typical 60 Hz induction motor will normally rotate at about 3500 rpm at full load, and because the excitation coil 210 is being energized with precisely 60 Hz, the polarity of the excitation coil will change at about 10 before the end of a trailing edge of each given pole pattern previously im-printed in layer 74A. The excitation coil applies a sufficiently strong magnetic field to the layer at this point, so that it will cause the polarity of this nearly 10 increment of the trail-ing edge to be reversed to the opposite polarity and this in-crement will be added to the leading edge of the succeeding pole in layer 74A. Accordingly, the excitation coil will keep re-versing increments of about 10 from each trailing edge and add it to the immediately following leading edge of the succeeding pole. Thus, the excitation coil in effect speeds up the relative movement of the north and south pole pattern of layer 74A by 10 per revolution of the rotor, to cause the pattern to pass the primary windings at a relative speed of 3600 rpm, and the windings will generate A.C. of exactly 60 Hz if the excitation coil is energized with 60 Hz A.C. Regardless of the rotor speed - `` 11'~0101 variations, within quite substantial limits, the excitation coil will imprint magnetic pole patterns in the layer 74A so that 60 pairs of poles pass by the primary windings each second, thereby inducing 60 Hz A.C. output. A 50 Hz induction motor supplied with S0 Hz A.C. will rotateat about 2900 rpm at full load, and if 50 Hz A.C. is desired from the generator 30 then the excita-tion coil is energized with 50 Hz from the control means, and it will imprint magnetic pole patterns in layer 74A in a similar manner, except that the pairs of north and south poles passing the primary windings will be at the rate of 3000 per minute and the primary windings will generate 50 Hz A.C. Any speeding up of the driving motor, or slowing down, is automatically compen-sated for by the fact that the excitation coil will imprint north and south magnetic poles at precisely the rate of the A.C. sup-plied to it, so that the primary and other windings are subjectto a fixed rate of passage of magnetic poles at all times.
It is well known to those skilled in the art, that con-siderable care and special equipment and precise timing is re-quired to couple the outputs of two A.C. generators. An advan-tage of the present invention is that similar NIPS generatorsof this invention which use a common timing oscillator, can be coupled in parallel by simply closing a connecting switch, without any concern, even though the generator speeds may be different, since their A.C. leads will have potentials with identical wave outputs. The only item that need be watched is that the correct phases be coupled.
A phase-lock loop component may be interposed between the oscillator of the NIPS unit and an external reference, such as utility power line, in order that they may function in syn-chronous phase relation, as long as the external reference isoperating normally. Thus, if a factory or hospital is employing ,~

il~O10~

a plurality of the NIPS units for different functions - for example to operate electronic data processing units, and a machine tool, - it is desirable that all the NIPS units operate in a synchronous phase relation. Therefore, a phase-lock loop component, which is available as a standard electronic aompon-ent, will be applied to the oscillators of all of the NIPS
units, using either the utility line as the external reference, or one of the NIPS units as a master reference.

The mass of the motors, cylindrical shell and the field cores attached thereto constitute a rotational energy source that is sufficient to provide an A.C. output from the unit, when pow-er is totally cut off from the driving motors for a substantial period of time. This mass can be made quite large, so that the generator will keep on producing A.C. of the constant frequency - constant voltage desired, for up to a minute or more, though there are several practical considerations in providing genera-tors of such long time output characteristics. It is more prac-tical and economical to provide generators with modest masses so that they will deliver full A.C. output for up to 20 seconds, during which time they may lose from 10% to 15% of their normal rotational velocity, and this time interval is adequate for the period from the moment utility line power is interrupted until auxiliary power can be delivered to the generator.

While reference has been made to utility power and its shortcomings, which requires the interpositioning of the present NIPS system between the utility line and a sensitive load, it should be understood that there are many other situations that would be greatly benefited by use of the present NIPS system.

For example, A.C. power is frequently generated locally in factories, offices and other small usage areas, using a diesel engine, gas or gasoline engines, or a steam turbine driving a small A.C. generator. Some of the problems and faults present l~ZO101 in a pub`lic utility system are avoided by such local genera-tor units, but there are other difficulties present: in many cases greater surges and voltage dips in these small units occur when a large motor or an electric furnace or other large load is suddenly put on the line. Failure of such local units at unexpected times can occur and it may take a long time to get another standby unit in operation or to tie into a utility line. In sucfi occurrences sensitive computers and electrical controls are inoperative, or can misfunction or malfunction with considerable losses. The NIPS system of the present invention can be employed to great advantage in these local power generat-ing circuits to i`solate and insulate all electrically sensitive equipment from any fluctuations, faults and interruptions, and especially to keep the equipment operating under all circum-stances-.
An important application of the NIPS of this invention is to supply A.C. of a different frequency from the utility fre-quency, to a piece of electrical equipment requiring such dif-ferent frequency. Thus, a computer designed and employing com-ponents functioning with 6Q Hz A.C. can be used without anymodificati`on in an area where only 50 Hz A.C. is available, by interposïng an NIPS generator as shown in Figure 1. The driving motors 24 and 28 need be motors designed for 50 Hz A.C. while the generator is operated to produce 60 Hz A.C. output, which is s-uppli`ed to the computer. Thus, not only is the computer supplied with the frequency for whlch it is designed but it is also protected from any line faults, irregularities, or interruptions in the 5Q Hz A.C. utility line.
Us-ing barium ferrite, the thickness of the permanent magnetic material in the layer 74 is of the order of 1/4 inch.

The thickness may vary from 0.1 inch to 0.5 inch for fields ~7 11~0101 in generators of from about 1 KW to 10 KW capacity. Using per-manent magnetic materials having a higher remanerlt flux density (Br) than barium ferrite, the thickness may be reduced propor-tionately, while a layer of weaker permanent magnetic materials may have to be thicker. The combination of this thin layer of permanent magnetic material applied to the face of a large mass of high permeability soft magnetic material, is an important factor in assuring low losses and a high efficiency generator.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1, In an A.C. electrical generator capable of generating alternating current of a substantially constant frequency and of a substantially constant selected voltage, a first support means carrying at least one power field core and an exciter field core, the power field core and the exciter field core each comprising a body of high permeability soft magnetic material having a circular surface with an applied layer of permanent magnetic material thereon, the applied layer of permanent magnetic material on the exciter field core being magnetized to a pattern of north and south magnetic poles, a second support means carrying slotted and wound armature cores equal to the number of field cores and each juxtaposed and aligned with a field core, each armature comprising a body of high permeability soft magnetic material with a circular surface close to and concentric with the circular surface of its adjacent field core, means for rotating one of the support means with respect to the other support means whereby the wound armature juxtaposed with respect to the exciter field core will generate an A.C. potential as the magnetized layer with north and south magnetic poles moves with respect to it, the improvement comprising providing a plurality of windings in each armature juxtaposed to a power field core wherein the plurality of windings comprises a) an excitation coil energizable with A.C. current in a first pair of slots, the excitation coil producing a pattern of north and south magnetic poles in the layer of permanent magnetic material in the juxtaposed power field core, b) a supplementing winding in selected other slots for generating an A.C. potential as the so magnetized layer moves with respect to the armature and the A.C. current is to be supplied to the excitation coil, and c) power output windings in other slots for generating A.C, potential as the magnetized power field core rotates with respect thereto, and electrical control means to supply to the excitation coil combined with the A.C. from the supplementing windings to enable the excitation coil to produce the desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles in the layer of permanent magnetic material in the juxtaposed power field core at a desired level of magnetic remanence in order to cause the power output windings to generate A.C.
potentials of the desired substantially constant frequency and at the substantially constant selected voltage.

2. The A.C. electrical generator of Claim 1, wherein the plurality of windings in the armature juxtaposed with respect to the power field core also includes a modifying winding preferably disposed in slots about 180°
from the slots with the excitation coiling, the electrical control means responsive to signals from the A.C. voltage in the power output windings to supply, when required a timed A.C. current to the modifying windings to develop a magnetic field sufficient to change the magnetic remanence in the layer of permanent magnetic material in the juxtaposed power field core so that the power output windings will generate the selected voltage.

3. The A.C. electrical generator of claim 1, wherein the power output windings comprise sets of primary windings disposed in slots on either side of the first pair of slots with the excitation coil and sets of leading windings and/or lagging windings wound in slots other than the slots with the excitation coil to generate single phase A.C. potential.

4. The A.C. electrical generator of claim 2, wherein the power output windings comprise sets of primary windings disposed in slots on either side of the first pair of slots with the excitation coil and sets of leading windings and/or lagging windings wound in slots other than the slots with the excitation coil to generate single phase A.C. potential.

5. The A.C. electrical generator of any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the first support means carries at least three power field cores and the second support means carries at least three wound armatures in addition to the armature juxtaposed and aligned with the exciter field core, and the power field cores and the exciter field core each have a circular cylindrical aperture on which the layer of permanent magnetic material is applied, the wound armatures each having an outer circular cylindrical surface closely spaced to and juxtaposed in operative alignment to the circular cylindrical aperture of its field core, and the means for rotating the support means rotates the support means with the field cores.

6. The A.C. electrical generator of any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the first support means carries at least three power field cores and the second support means carries at least three wound armatures in addition to the armature juxtaposed and aligned with the exciter field core, and the power field cores and the exciter field core each have a circular cylindrical aperture on which the layer of permanent magnetic material is applied, the wound armatures each having an outer circular cylindrical surface closely spaced to and juxtaposed in operative alignment to the circular cylindrical aperture of its field core, and the means for rotating the support means rotates the support means with the field cores wherein the leading windings of one armature are so placed in the slots that they generate single phase A.C. that is out of phase with the single phase A.C. generated by the primary windings in the same armature, but are in phase with the single phase A.C. generated by the primary windings in the same armature, but are in phase with the single phase A.C. generated by the primary windings of a second armature, and the lagging windings in the said one armature generate single phase A.C.
that is out of phase with the single phase A.C. generated in the primary windings of the same armature, but are in phase with the single phase A.C. generated by the primary windings of a third armature, and the single phase A.C. potential of each of the primary windings is combined with the single phase A.C. derived from the leading and lagging windings of the other armatures with which it is in phase to provide a joint single phase A.C. that has low total harmonic distortion, the power output of three armatures comprising three phase A.C.
potential with low total harmonic distortion as well as being of a constant selected frequency and of a substantially constant selected voltage.

7. The A.C. electrical generator of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrical control means comprises a transformer having a primary winding supplied with high frequency A.C. potential from the exciter armature and the secondary windings of the transformer supply high frequency A.C. to a plurality of controllably energizable semiconductor devices connected in a circuit with means for supplying precisely timed control pulses of a low frequency corresponding to the desired selected frequency from the A.C. generator, the con-trollably energizable semiconductor devices producing pulses of full wave rectified high frequency A.C. comprising successive precisely timed positive and negative half cycle pulses of low frequency A.C. of the desired frequency, the low frequency A.C.
being conducted to a resonant circuit comprising the excitation coil, an inductance, a capacitance and the supplementing wind-ings whereby the excitation coil magnetizes the layer of per-manent magnetic material into the desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles.

8. The A.C. electrical generator of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrical control means comprises a trans-former having a primary winding supplied with high frequency A.C. potential from the exciter armature and the secondary windings of the transformer supply high frequency A.C. to a plurality of controllably energizable semiconductor devices connected in a circuit with means for supplying precisely timed control pulses of a low frequency corresponding to the desired selected frequency from the A.C. generator, the controllably energizable semiconductor devices producing pulses of full wave rectified high frequency A.C. comprising successive precisely timed positive and negative half cycle pulses of low frequency A.C. of the desired frequency, the low frequency A.C. being conducted to a resonant circuit comprising the excitation coil, an inductance, a capacitance and the supplementing windings whereby the excitation coil magnetizes the layer of permanent magnetic material into the desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles, and wherein the exciter armature comprises a plurality of windings in each output of a polyphase A.C. exciter, and the windings generate high frequency A.C.

9. The A.C. electrical generator of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrical control means comprises a trans-former having a primary winding supplied with high frequency A.C.
potential from the exciter armature and the secondary windings of the transformer supply high frequency A.C. to a plurality of controllably energizable semiconductor devices connected in a circuit with means for supplying precisely timed control pulses of a low frequency corresponding to the desired selected frequency from the A.C. generator, the controllably energizable semiconductor devices producing pulses of full wave rectified high frequency A.C. comprising successive precisely timed positive and negative half cycle pulses of low frequency A.C. of the desired frequency, the low frequency A.C. being conducted to a resonant circuit comprising the excitation coil, an inductance, a capacitance and the supplementing windings whereby the excitation coil mag-netizes the layer of permanent magnetic material into the desired pattern of north and south magnetic poles, wherein the exciter armature comprises a plurality of windings in each output of a polyphase A.C. exciter, and the windings generate high frequency A.C., and wherein there are disposed variable shunt reactances between pairs of conductors supplying high frequency A.C. to the controllably energizable semiconductor devices, and voltage re-gulating means are connected to the shunt reactances in order to controllably vary the voltage in the high frequency A.C. being rectified so that the desired low frequency A.C. output going to the excitation coil is of a desired magnitude. to cause the layer of magnetic material to be magnetized to a selected magnetic remanence level.

10. The A.C. generator of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrical control means energizes the means for rotating the support means from an external source of power, and there are provided sensing means within the electrical control means for detecting a failure or interruption of the external source.
of power, said sensing means activating an auxiliary source of power and connecting the auxiliary source of power to energize the means for rotating the support means, so that the A.C. gener-ator maintains its power output without any interruption.